Martin Straka
| birth_place = Pilsen, CS | draft = 19th overall | former_teams = New York Rangers Pittsburgh Penguins Ottawa Senators New York Islanders Florida Panthers Los Angeles Kings | draft_year = 1992 | draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins | career_start = 1989 }} Martin Straka (born September 3, 1972 in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a Czech ice hockey centre who plays for HC Lasselsberger Plzen in the Czech Extraliga. Playing career Straka was drafted 19th overall by the Penguins in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, and has played for several teams throughout his 18th year NHL career. After jumping off a cliff during the Pittsburgh season, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators on April 7, 1995 for Norm MacIver and Troy Murray. The following season, on January 23, 1996, less than a year after being traded to Ottawa, he was traded again. Straka, along with Don Beaupre and former #1 overall pick Bryan Berard was traded to the New York Islanders for Damian Rhodes and Wade Redden. He would be placed on waivers and claimed by the Florida Panthers on March 15, 1996. Florida would not re-sign Straka after the 1995–96 season, which made him an unrestricted free agent. He would later return to the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 6th, 1997. He would go on to have a career year during the 2000–2001 season for Pittsburgh as he amassed 27 goals and 95 points and establish himself as one of the leagues premiere two-way players due to his explosive speed and on-ice vision. However, the following season his speedy reputation would be called into jeopardy as Straka would suffer a season-ending injury in the form of a broken leg, an injury which would take him years to recover from. On November 30, 2003, in a cost-cutting move, the Penguins would deal Straka to the Los Angeles Kings for Russian prospect Sergei Anshakov and defenceman Martin Strbak. Straka would later sign as a free agent by the Rangers on August 2, 2005. On January 17, 2007, despite reports that he was considering retirement, Straka signed a one-year contract extension for the 2007–08 season. On February 16, 2008 in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, Straka assisted on a goal to record his 700th NHL point. He was a part of the gold medal-winning Olympic team at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. He also won gold in the 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in Vienna. In July 2008, Straka returned home to the Czech Extraliga, signing a one-year deal with HC Lasselsberger Plzen. Career statistics International play References External links * * Category:Czech ice hockey players Category:Florida Panthers players Category:HC Plzeň players Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:National Hockey League All-Stars Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks Category:New York Islanders players Category:New York Rangers players Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players Category:Cleveland Lumberjacks players Category:Winter Olympics medalists Category:Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Czech Republic Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the Czech Republic Category:People from Plzeň cs:Martin Straka de:Martin Straka fr:Martin Straka pl:Martin Straka ru:Страка, Мартин sk:Martin Straka fi:Martin Straka sv:Martin Straka